1 decade ago. The cartoon character is based on the Greater Roadrunner. * Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus … Both are similar in appearance, except that the greater roadrunner is larger and has a longer bill. Reproductive Biology. Because of its quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon rattlesnakes;[15] it is also the only real predator of tarantula hawk wasps. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. See the Related Links for more information. The roadrunner bird is not a dinosaur, no, but there have been recent discoveries of a dinosaur that is also being referred to as roadrunner. The Greater Roadrunner is the largest North American Cuckoo. 0 0. eye_d11. A coyote, on the other hand, can reach a height of 20 inches at the shoulder. The young leave the nest at two to three weeks old, foraging with parents for a few days after. Sign in. The roadrunner bird is not a dinosaur, no, but there have been recent discoveries of a dinosaur that is also being referred to as roadrunner. 1 decade ago. Hatching is asynchronous. She specializes in health, wellness and travel topics and has credits in various publications including Woman's Day, Marie Claire, Adirondack Life and Self. The clue is in the name - A Road Runner. ", "Usually 1-3 meters above ground; infrequently higher than 3 meters (Hughes 1996). Answer Save. Here are six things to know about their speed, eating habits and where to see one. Male roadrunner brings female all the necessary materials for building nests. For other uses, see, "With the exception of breeding pairs, roadrunners are solitary (Hughes 1996). Roadrunner feathers were traditionally used to decorate Pueblo cradleboards as spiritual protection for the baby. Pairs mate for life (Terres 1980). How fast can roadrunners run? Its a Road Runner as others have said! The reproductive season is spring to mid-summer (depending on geographic location and species). It does fully exist, and that's what "roadrunner" is :) Source(s): Wikipedia to find the genus, and my own knowledge. During the courtship display, the male bows, alternately lifting and dropping his wings and spreading his tail. Favourite food snakes! [12], The Hopi and other Pueblo tribes believed that roadrunners were medicine birds and could protect against evil spirits. Trivia About Roadrunners . Favorite Answer. As they run, they hold their lean frames nearly parallel to the ground and rudder with their long tails. What kind of bird is the Road Runner? The Ch’orti’, who call it t’unk’u’x or mu’, have taboos against harming the bird. 120-million-year-old fossilized footprints made by a roadrunner-like bird, Shandongornipes muxiai, discovered in Shandong Province, China. While the cartoon character is bluish in appearance, the real roadrunner is black with light brown and white stripes. For the first one to two weeks after the young hatch, one parent remains at the nest. During winter, roadrunners supplement their diet with some fruits and seeds. Like parrots, these birds have zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico,[1][2] usually in the desert. Roadrunners reach two feet from sturdy bill to white tail tip, with a bushy blue-black crest and mottled plumage that blends well with dusty shrubs. 1 decade ago. The bird has got a way of killing larger prey that is to say it strikes the prey against a rock multiple times until the prey dies. From the Looney Tunes cartoon. [20] The Ch'ol Maya believe roadrunners to have special powers. Lv 4. The tail is broad with white tips on the three outer tail feathers.